March 10, 2015
PRESS RELEASE
Date: Autumn Term 2013
National Citizen Service students raise over £8000 for local charities in little over 3 weeks.
Raising thousands of pounds over the summer holiday isn’t on your typical students’ agenda.
But that’s exactly what over 40 students from The Forest did when they united with over 30 students from The Holt and Wellington College.
Earlier this year three of our local secondary schools were honoured with the status of ‘Champion School’ by the Cabinet Office for the National Citizen Service programme. The Forest, The Holt and Wellington College were selected alongside only seven other schools nationally.
Six cross school teams: Top Soldiers, Juan, Terrence, Swag, Avatar and Phoenix were born. They were each tasked with a social action project, and were asked to look at problems facing our community and either raise awareness or fund raise for those charities needing help.
With their destiny and decision making in their own hands the 16 and 17 year olds set out plans to raise money for chosen charities including: Young Minds, Wokingham District Cancer Care Trust, Help our Heroes, Peapods, Norwood - Rovers Wood, Hope for Homeless and Army of Angels.
Teams ‘Skyped’, or used Facebook when they couldn’t physically meet in order to plan their strategies. The exuberance of youth saw fundraising schemes involving 100 mile bike ride, a ‘getting lost’ trip, space hopping for 2 miles and plenty of cake sales!
The teams had to learn how to plan and action their schemes, get to know new people, speak in public and use plenty of persuasion and negotiation skills in order to succeed. Collectively these teams raised a tremendous £8,000 for charity.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished something.” said Lucas (Year 12), The Forest.
John Harper Managing Director of Future Foundations, the company who run the NCS scheme in Berkshire said
“I am really impressed with the students from The Forest School who have participated in the National Citizen Service programme this summer.They showed what a difference young people can make in the community, and they were a true inspiration. I along with the parents/carers present at the Awards night left inspired by what they had achieved and clear of the importance of the National Citizen Service which is an incredible programme for enabling young people to meet others and realise the power a team can have to make a real impact on their local community”.
The resounding response from all our students when asked if they would recommend this to others was a clear yes.
Top Soldiers team member Agam Sahni said, “It gave me a sense of self satisfaction knowing that I made a great difference to people’s lives. I felt I helped a lot of people”
Team Top Soldiers with their NCS Certificates
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